Just a few facts, on the subject raised by Mr. Martins.
The Marcellus Basin traverses West Virginia, southeast Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, and a small portion of the southern tier of New York State.
Long Island, which is no closer than 200 miles from the basin, is also surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.
Hydraulic fracturing is hardly new, being used since 1900 and becoming common industry practice in the 1940s. Since the oil and gas industry is involved, expect lots of heat and very little light on this topic.
Given the fact that New York State had 48 Electoral College votes as late as 1950 while we now have 27 and are projected to be at or below 20 before mid-century, it’s a stone-cold fact that the state is in long-term demographic and economic decline.
Likewise, the hard reality is that the USA is dependent on foreign nations for more than two-thirds of our energy needs, at a time of unsustainable debt levels and deficits.
‘Fracking’ is a lifeline, to paraphrase Gov. Rendell of Pennsylvania, hardly a west Texas roughneck type; that is, it we can seize the moment.
So what is Martins’ suggestion?
Why, more study. Really? The EPA, no fan of the industry, has stated categorically in testimony before Congress that ‘fracking, which has been ongoing for several decades, has not caused groundwater contamination’.
The contamination canard is an attempt to spread fear based on willful ignorance in order to stop development.
There is also a large component of selfishness involved, as the ‘green energy gang’ sees natural gas as a serious threat to their economic interests.
At the end of the day, more study, is an fig leaf to do nothing and the typical response of finger in the wind politicos seeking to be on all sides of an issue while looking for media attention.
Tom Coffey
Herricks
